Opposition wants decisive action to address hospital infrastructure issues

 

Opposition Spokesperson on Health and Wellness Dr. Alfred Dawes is calling for decisive action to address the critical failure of surgical services at two of Jamaica's flagship public health institutions. 

 

The call comes as operating theatres at Kingston Public Hospital and Bustamante Hospital for Children remain offline due to recurring infrastructure failure. 

 

The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) says the faults have led to delays in the scheduling and completion of elective surgeries across multiple specialties. 

 

Dr. Dawes contends that the current shutdown mirrors a cycle the Ministry of Health has repeated relentlessly.

 

"Again, surgeries are being cancelled, life-saving medical missions are in jeopardy and once again the patients and the hospital staff are paying the price. This is not new. When I raised the alarm last year about Bustamante's theatres, the ministry responded with a PR exercise, not a fix. When mould was found at Kingston Public Hospital, they painted over it, made an announcement for the evening news and called it solved. Well, it wasn't solved because those same theatres are contaminated yet again and patients are suffering again," he contended.

 

In light of this, Dr. Dawes has suggested a suite of measures that he believes is critical to a much-needed reform in the health system. 

 

He said the government must move beyond words and take action to address the care crisis affecting the country. 

 

"The Jamaican people deserve more than promises. They deserve operating theatres that are safe, functional and permanently fixed, not patched until the next collapse. I'm calling on this government to commission an independent infrastructure assessment team, publish a real remediation timeline and allocate the resources to do this properly. Our operating theatres should be the foundation of our health system. It is time, in fact, past time to stop the cycle; it is time to do the work," insisted Dr. Dawes.

 

The management of Kingston Public Hospital has said surgical services continue to be disrupted because of challenges with the central air conditioning system serving two operating theatres.